


The Trial of the 7 Kingdoms

by HalfanHalf



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Varian and the 7 kingdoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other, Varian and the 7 kingdoms - Freeform, Vat7k - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28229631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalfanHalf/pseuds/HalfanHalf
Summary: The story of this spin-off would see Varian as an 18-year-old receive his mother Ulla's almanac and unfinished works from his father. Seeking to complete her work and look for the pieces of himself he felt were missing from his life, Varian would ultimately traverse Corona and its surrounding Nations to complete 7 Alchemical Trials and receive Totems from each.
Relationships: Hugo/Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> 2 writers from ‘Tangled the series’ thought u Varian & the 7 Kingdoms AU. Disney rejected this idea due to Varian being a side character but that didn’t stop them from posting the story for us to enjoy/have fun with.

**Taking place in Corona** , in one of Varian's labs in the palace, seventeen-year-old Varian was wrapping up his things for the afternoon, getting ready to head back to Old Corona for dinner. 

Tomorrow was Varian’s birthday; he would be turning eighteen and would be gaining a responsibility that he had never thought of gaining. 

As Varian started packing up the last of his things that needed to be brought home, he remembered all of the crazy things that had happened those years ago. 

“It’s already been three years buddy,” Varian said, now looking at Ruddiger his faithful raccoon. Rudiger gave a few small squeaks and weaved in and out of Varian’s feet. “After all this time-,” He didn’t finish his thought before he heard someone walking through the door and down the steps. 

“Varian!” Rapunzel shouted after Varian to catch his attention, but her trip down the last few steps already had. 

“Careful Rapunzel,” Varian slowly walked over to his old friend, the princess of Corona. 

“You’re almost an adult,” Raps said with enthusiasm. 

“Yup,” 

“Aren’t you excited to finally be eighteen?” 

“Yea,” Varian set a box down next to his desk. 

“Sweetheart stop bothering the poor kid,” Eugene came down the steps carefully. “I won’t be able to call you that anymore, huh Varian,” 

They all shared a small laugh to fill the awkward silence. Though none of them had much to say it seemed like Rapunzel was eager to get something off her chest but she’s always excited. 

“How are you doing Varian,” Eugene had a sincere and stern look on his face. 

“Excited,” There wasn’t much Varian had to say at the moment. 

“Well we just wanted to check up on you, were going to be busy tomorrow so we hope you have a good birthday,” 

“Thanks, Eugene,” 

“No problem, well I better get going Max is waiting for me out there and you know how he gets when he’s busy. I’ll leave you two to talk.” Eugene walked quickly up the stairs and was out of sight within a minute. 

“It’s weird being here without all of the rocks between us, isn’t it,” Rapunzel looked like she was in a daze staring at the messy room. 

“Yea, but You know it’s better than giant red rocks showing your worst fear, right?” 

Rapunzel gave a faint laugh. 

“How are those nightmares?” Rapunzel asked. 

“Going away slowly,” Varian was surprised she remembered, then again this is Rapunzel. 

“That can be a good thing!” She gave a subtle smile. “As long as they’re going away!” 

They both laughed. Varian hadn’t realized it before but now it was clear if Rapunzel hadn’t shown up at his door that one day a lot of what happened all those years ago, wouldn’t have happened. And they only met because of. . . Cassandra. 

She had been gone for three years now, not missing just on a road trip of a sort. Cassandra had left Corona on a search to find herself, and considering everything that happened because she hadn’t found herself in Corona, that trip should be made worth it. She probably wasn’t coming back but Rapunzel seemed to be over it. Keyword ‘Seemed’. 

“What are you thinking about?” Rapunzel decided to break the silence. 

“Does something feel weird to you?” Varian said. 

“Kind of, what exactly do you mean by weird?” 

“Like something is, incomplete,” 

Rapunzel nodded and looked around the messy room once more. 

Varian had mixed feelings about becoming an official adult. He was excited sure, but he also couldn’t risk making silly mistakes. He wouldn’t be just a goofy teenager anymore. Or at least that’s how he saw it. Others acted as though nothing would change. 

“I should get going Eugene is waiting,” Rapunzel said and hurried up the stairs. 

As he finished packing up, he wondered how likely it would be he would ever be able to grow out of his goofy teenage. . . ness. He felt like he wasn’t the same but not in a good way. 

Varian didn’t have the height of most seventeen-year old's, in fact, he had barely grown from when he was fifteen. The last growth spurt he had was when he was in prison. 

With a shudder Varian shook that thought away, his father was well aware of what he had done and so was everyone else. But he had been forgiven by his fellow villagers and his father. He always wondered if maybe his father hadn’t fully forgiven him for getting him trapped in the amber. 

Flashes of the rocks and the amber corrupted his head. Varian groaned and continued packing up. 

“You ready to go Ruddiger?” The fuzzy raccoon chittered in response and hopped on Varian's shoulder ready to leave. 

Varian grabbed his packed-up bag and started for the steps to start heading home to Old Corona, he was tired and ready to call it a night. Tired was a bit of an understatement. He would have to wait to sleep until after dinner of course. Which might have to be a quick activity because Varian was exhausted. Luckily Old Corona was only like an hour or two away from the palace. He had gone on this walk hundreds of times. He knew every corner, every bend, and every pothole. There were a surprising number of potholes actually. 

Varian was reading a book on his way back to the fully repaired Old Corona. He always did. Whenever Varian was about to bump into something Ruddiger chittered in his ear and Varian moved out of the way. It was a rock-solid system. The two of them had been together for a while. Though Varian was fourteen when he first truly adopted Ruddiger as his lab partner and lifetime companion, (or however long raccoons live) he had been younger when he played with Ruddiger outside. He fed him apples and made a small dog house for him. Varian's dad had said he takes after his Uncle Hector by befriending possibly dangerous wild animals, but Quirin didn’t seem to mind. Ruddiger had never tried to hurt Varian. 

On his way home Varian thought about all of the possible things that might go wrong the next day. He might remember something that could blow up in his labs and would have to rush over. Maybe he got sick from a chemical leak. 

After a tiny bit of consideration, he brushed the thoughts away and continued to walk the path to Old Corona changing his train of thought to what he would do next, instead of what he didn’t do earlier. 

Each mile something different passed by him. A few carts, three guys on horses, and a lot of stray cats. At some point Ruddiger hopped onto the apple tree they pass every day and grabbed an apple to have as a snack home, as he always did. He could easily hop off Varian’s shoulder and run down the road ahead to the tree to grab a snack. He waited until Varian was in position and hopped back onto his shoulders, now with a snack for the road. 

Eventually, he arrived at his home in Old Corona and sat down on his bed in his room after tossing his bag on the desk chair. He was ready for the day to be over and to go to sleep. He was so tired he almost forgot about dinner. 

Varian was exhausted, as he always is when he gets home. He tends to overwork himself constantly even though his father has said to take breaks more frequently. Varian doesn’t like being away from his heavy equipment. He’s had bad things happen in the past because he hadn’t paid enough attention to what was going on with his bigger inventions. Varian once caused a series of earthquakes just because he hadn’t calculated something correctly. That had actually happened twice. Now before he does anything, he has to be sure he knows it’s safe to be left alone. 

“Your back late,” Quirin, Varian’s father walked into Varian's room. Varian groaned in response. He was tired and wanted to go to sleep. “Have some dinner,” Quirin left after setting down a plate of a sandwich with an apple on the side. How Varian knew the apple was for Ruddiger? Simple. They’ve had a subtle agreement that an apple must be placed out for Varian’s best friend to be able to eat with him. Ruddiger seemed to appreciate this. And of course, so did Varian, sometimes it helped him being able to eat with a friend, even if it was only Ruddiger. 

That had always bugged Varian. He was terrible with people but great with machines and animals. Maybe he just didn’t get enough chances, having grown up the village screw up. _Stop it, Varian_ , He thought to himself, _Dad said that wasn’t healthy_. Varian had developed a strange way of making himself feel depressed. It often had to do with him being friends with a raccoon and only a raccoon. Sure he had Rapunzel but she has been busy lately. Varian assumed it had something to do with her kids, got to get them ready for school and social interaction or something. 

Varian looked over at Ruddiger who was eating slowly, but even for the tiny raccoon that was hard to do. “Enjoying dinner bud?” Varian was glad he had someone who would stay by him as long as possible. Ruddiger gave a bit of a raccoon nod. Varian realized he shouldn’t be sad that his only friend was a raccoon, Ruddiger is a great raccoon and definitely Varian’s favorite friend. They’ve been together since they were both young and stayed together even when Varian went to prison. 

Whilst lost in thought Varian dozed off and fell asleep. 

His dream was peaceful, for the majority of it. Then it took a dark turn for the worse. Of course, it was the same as any night, but having lived what he was seeing, it was hard not to scream when he saw it over and over again. The feelings he felt were real while he dreamed. Scared, alone, and frozen. He had gotten a bit sick after his adventure through the blizzard but he recovered quickly. He wanted out. He heard screams at the door of enraged villagers out for his head. That’s what they had screamed about. _He was such a screw up that he killed his own father._ He could never escape the thought that maybe they were right about him. _His mother knew what she was doing when she left._ That thought woke Varian up with a vicious scream. 


	2. Birthday Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian's birthday! The boy is finally eighteen and gets the gift of adventure.

**Quirin cam** **e** **rushing into his room to check on him.** He was holding a cup of hot cocoa. The scent filled steam-filled Varian's senses. He calmed himself down at the sight of his father. Quirin was absolutely Varian’s favorite person, seeing him just made Varian ten times happier. However, despite seeing his father near him, a few tears still escaped his eyes. He was still tense after the nightmare, but it helped to be near his father. 

“I brought you some hot cocoa,” Quirin handed Varian the hot cup and he took a sip. “Happy birthday,” Quirin rustled his hand through Varian’s hair. 

Quirin stared at Varian’s hair stripes for a minute. 

“I still don’t know how you managed to get another hair stripe without trying,” He chuckled. 

“It baffles me to dad,” 

His blue hair stripes were a mystery to both of them. Varian wasn’t quite sure how he got the first one. There were a lot of different theories in their family. However, Quirin said it was a gift from his mother. ‘The last wish’ he had said. A reminder that she was with him no matter what. Varian wasn’t a huge fan of magic though. Wishes on stars didn’t make sense, neither did any other form of magic. It was unexplainable, impossible to find a cause. If he could prove what causes magic, he might feel comfortable with it, but that was not now. Varian got the second stripe after he accidentally turned himself blonde for a week. His original stripe was turned pink when that happened. 

“What do you want to do today?” Quirin asked the very tired alchemist. “Sleep,” Was Varian’s response. His father chuckled and got up deciding to let him sleep. 

“I’m making pancakes later.” 

“Sounds delicious.” 

Quirin’s pancakes were always Varian’s favorite meal. That and ham sandwiches. He loved both equally. 

The pleasantness of a dreamless sleep was unexplainable but this wasn’t making him uncomfortable. He didn’t question his feelings, he learned he shouldn’t hide something that’s bothering him. He appreciated his father letting him sleep in a little longer. Varian desperately needed it. 

As peaceful as he was when he slept, something kept bothering him in his sleep. Though he wasn’t dreaming he could still hear those words. 

It was a necessity to his father that Varian got enough sleep. He didn’t want a major accident caused by sleep deprivation. It’s happened and it didn’t end well. 

The feeling of being so tired to not be in control flew through Varian’s mind. He remembered the feeling of when he tried to destroy Corona. They had abandoned him and left him homeless and alone. He almost killed his father and repeatedly almost destroyed the village. But the last thing Varian expected was for his fellow villagers, who had suffered from his enemies' hands, to turn on him just like that. 

_Your evil is showing_ , a mocking voice echoed through his brain. It always did that, brought up the fact that Varian still felt guilt and anger about the rocks even when they were long gone. It bugged him that Rapunzel hadn’t helped in, or kept him with her. Instead, she kicked him out of the castle, blamed him for ‘attacking’ her, and he was forced into the cold blizzard that they had to evacuate the island for. It was irritating. 

His nerves calmed in his sleep to the scent of fresh warm pancakes, like they just finished cooking and were ready for eating. He loved pancakes, especially when they were soft and put you on the fence of deciding whether to dig in or admire its beauty for all of its pancake glory. ‘Yum’ were his only thoughts. 

Varian woke up right before lunchtime with Ruddiger sleeping on a pillow beside him. Perfect timing for pancakes, Varian’s favorite. He went to the kitchen where sure enough his father was waiting for him with a stack of pancakes on the table. They ate and talked about a multitude of different topics. It drifted from one to another based on what one of them said. Then somewhere in their conversation, they realized a lot of time went by. 

When they were done talking an hour or two had gone by and it was early afternoon, around twelve-thirty. Varian had woken up around maybe ten. He had worked late the previous nights to catch up on some work that needed to be constantly tended to. 

Moving on from their conversation that lasted a few hours, Quirin and Varian went to work on dinner, laughing about how Varian would have to make dinner on his own at some point. But for now, they worked together and had fun while doing it. Ruddiger waited on the couch. 

“The day finally came,” Quirin said. 

“What day would that be?” 

“The day you’re no longer my baby.” Quirin looked sad at the thought. 

“I’m not a baby but I am your son,” Varian added. 

They put their dinner in the oven and together they had made a delicious meal. Cooking was easy for both of them, Varian saw it as just a different type of science. 

The two of them ate and talked about Corona and other stuff. No specific topic was one that could stay. 

They worked together dealing with the dishes from their big mess in the kitchen and dinner table. However, Varian could tell something was bothering his father, something like a secret. 

"How do you feel?" Quirin asked.

"I'm glad the day is almost over," Varian said with a smile. “You all right dad, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Varian asked. 

“It can wait until after cake,” he said with a strangely upbeat tone. 

“Ok.” 

Quirin brought out a box. When he opened it up a sweet smell of sugar-filled the room. If the scent had a color it would be pastel pink like a hyacinth. Like roses and berries. Bottom line it smelled delicious. 

“I went to the bakery while you were at the palace,” Quirin said.

They talked and joked while they ate some more, now not having to worry about a huge mess to clean up afterward since the cake was prepackaged with a plate. There was a moment of silence as they washed their dishes from the cake. Tension filled the air.

“There is something I need to show you,” Quirin paused. “It’s about your mother, I feel it’s time you know.” 

Quirin walked out of the room and into the attic where they kept all of the things that didn’t matter that much but were still important. Things that had no use to either of them but still had sentimental value. 

Varian started the fireplace and sat down next to it, Ruddiger in his lap. When his father came back downstairs to the living room Varian was slightly confused. He had come down with a fairly large green book with dust all over it and a golden design wrapped around the cover. 

“This was your mother’s,” Quirin said, handing Varian the book. “It was her journal based on her findings and adventures.” Varian was in shock.

Something from his mother that wasn’t almost rotted away or missing. Most of her things disappeared when _she_ went missing. Quirin started explaining the truth about Varian’s mother and what _he_ knew happened to her. 

‘An old friend’ Quirin had said. 

An old friend of Ulla’s, Varian’s mother, was the one to tell Quirin not to go looking for her. He had found it a little suspicious that she had up and left them, even when she had cared and loved Varian so much. So Quirin moved to Old Corona and raised Varian alone. He was never sure whether or not it was a good decision to not look for her.

Varian seemed to be so much like his mother it wasn’t funny. The way he made so many mistakes and tried all over again. The way he loved the people around him even when they might have wronged him. And his darker side as well. The mysteries of his intelligence and how far he might go to gain more knowledge. 

He described the trials that his mother talked so much about after working with this old friend of hers. Quirin said that he assumed Varian might want to complete her work, go compete in these trials and maybe find out what happened to his mother. Or maybe just unlock the biggest mysteries of the world, you never know what you might find. 

“If you want you can read over the journal tonight and then make your decision,” Quirin said. “I’m going to let this be your choice. You're old enough to make your own decisions.” 

“I don’t know what to say,” Varian got up and hugged his dad. “Thank you!” Just like that Varian sped off to his room to get to reading. 

If this book contained any information as to how to find his mother or from what he had read, a library with endless knowledge, he had to find it. All the knowledge of the universe at his fingertips. He had already made his decision. 

He went to get ready to go to sleep. He was excited and planned on leaving the next day if possible. His birthday had shaped up to be a great day. He could either discover the secrets to the universe or find his mother. Both options were good. Then of course the possibility that his mother wasn’t around anymore and had possibly died in the trials. From what he had read, they were not easy. She wrote that the trials are easier with more than one person, so Varian knew he needed to bring someone along if he is to succeed and get through the trials. 

In the journal, it said that there are seven elements. One for each kingdom. One for each trial. Each trial is harder than the last. Sounds easy enough. He just wished he knew more about them. The journal was a great start to finding out small things about them, but he needed to know more. The information from the journal was very limited and only informed him about what might come if he accepted the challenge. But no matter what Varian was ready to take that chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be edited a little better soon.


	3. What Comes Next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian gets his advice on how to start his journey into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is so short, it's mainly a filler to buy me time to work on the fourth chapter.

That morning Varian woke up and began packing. He was ready for his adventure and from the looks of it so was Ruddiger. It was his turn. One journey that would be all his own. He decided he would recruit people who wanted to join his party along the way. He was aware that not many people would want to leave Corona or their respected homes in other kingdoms but he figured it would be worth a shot. 

He packed a lot of his general alchemical supplies. He packed his tools and some spare parts he used to fiddle with when he was a kid. He’d be able to make things to help him and anyone joining him on his adventure along the way. 

His father came into the room. 

“Morning Varian,” Quirin said. “I see you’ve made your decision.” Quirin had a sad look in his eyes. A look that could tell you  _ Don’t go stay, with me.  _ But Varian wanted to go and finish his mother's work. Clearly, his father was ok with it since he wasn’t trying to stop Varian from leaving. There was a place in Varian’s mind telling him to stay as if to say  _ What more do you need, stay here with your father.  _ Which he wanted but not any more than he wanted to find this library, and maybe his mother. 

“I’m going alone,” Varian said looking his father in his eyes. “I’m an adult, and I need to do this on my own.” Quirin nodded in response. He didn’t look happy about it but he did understand how Varian saw it. He was an adult. He felt he should do it alone. 

So Varian went to go get some extra information before he left. Xavier was the one person he thought would know anything about this. He explained to Varian what he knew about the trials and that it would be best to find someone who knows where it might be. Xavier himself knew only the bare minimum so Varian had a hard time believing someone in another kingdom might understand what he’s talking about. 

Then again, you never know what someone else knows unless you ask. 

Varian saw Rapunzel and Eugene walking past the blacksmith's shop. They looked around and walked up to Varian. Ruddiger was sat on Varian’s shoulder. 

“How was the birthday Varian?” Rapunzel asked. 

“My dad and I had fun.” 

“That’s great!” Rapunzel looked over at Eugene for a second then back at Varian. 

“Whatcha doing here?” Eugene asked. 

He told Rapunzel and Eugene about the Library and the possibility that he might be able to find it, he just has to travel across the Seven Kingdoms and find something that might not even be worth it, or real. 

“That sounds. . . fun,” Rapunzel said that with a fake smile. 

“You guys went on a crazy adventure to the Dark Kingdom, any advice?” 

“Be prepared for the unexpected,” Eugene said. 

Varian nodded. “I better make sure I’m ready to go then.” 

“You’re leaving today?” Rapunzel asked. 

“The Seven Kingdoms are all huge, if I want to make it through the trials then I need to leave as soon as possible.” 

Rapunzel looked disappointed but nodded in agreement. 

With the advice and tips from Rapunzel, Eugene, and Xavier, Varian and Ruddiger set out to the Corona walls where his journey to finish his mother's work and find himself will soon begin.


End file.
